The Possession-Spoon Chef Feeds the Empire - Chapter 3

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 3
“I thought we wouldn’t be able to catch him until he joined the Suppression Force, but…….”
“Basilisk Venom! Spit right here! This big brother took a hit!”
“Really, there was a person…… Oh? This person……!”
The woman examined Cain’s body and started when she discovered the crest of the Bellion family.
As if recognizing an acquaintance, she tilted his head to study his face, even using her fingers to pry open his eyelids.
“Cain Bellion…… Why is he here already?”
“Ew! This big brother is so ugly.”
Even as Cain drifted between consciousness and oblivion, the child’s cry lodged itself in his chest like a blade.
Since birth, he had been acclaimed as the Empire’s most beautiful youth.
Though a cadet branch, wasn’t he regarded with expectation in society circles for his chiseled nose and cool gaze?
It felt distinctly unfair to be assessed for his looks in such a pathetic state.
“Yes, Lussiella, he is ugly. But that’s because his face is swollen from monster venom. By the storyline, he’s supposed to be handsome.”
“……He’s ugly. Only his eyes are like jewels.”
“Is it my fault…… ? Ever since then, with resources concentrated on Imperial Guard security, recruitment for the Suppression Force became urgent.”
Cain couldn’t quite make out what the woman was saying.
Why would the Imperial Guard staffing shortage be this woman’s fault?
“Mom…… my head hurts.”
“Oh, that’s right, our girl! You burned through all your Mana, so your headache needs treatment. The Valley would be a shortcut, but we’ll have to take the long way today.”
“Are we going to see Doctor Dundung?”
“That’s right, the doctor will give you Mana Recovery Medicine. After you take it, you mustn’t cast Buffs carelessly while cooking anymore.”
“Buff…… is fun though.”
“What do we do about this one? Health Points at 1, Strength at 1, Mana bottomed out. If we leave him to die…….”
Cain’s sight was gone, and his hearing was badly damaged; the two voices reached him only in fragments.
Much of what he could hear, he didn’t understand.
But they didn’t leave.
They lingered, searching for a way to revive something that was soaked in monster venom, indistinguishable from a corpse.
“Basilisk Worm Venom. It drains human life force and dries them to death……. The problem isn’t the poison itself, but the life force that’s been drained away.”
“If we give back the life force, he won’t be ugly?”
“Probably not.”
“Then save him. He’s so ugly. I can’t even breathe. Lussiella’s heart hurts.”
“…….”
Perhaps the child’s words moved something in her heart.
There came a rustling sound, and the woman thrust something into Cain’s face, whispering urgently.
“Eat this. If you can chew and swallow, you might live. If you do survive, cross the river and find Lady Bellamont. She’s a charlatan, but when it comes to treating monster venom, she’s better than most doctors.”
With that, the woman shoved a small, soft mass into Cain’s mouth. At the same time, he felt the child’s smooth, warm palm touch his cheek with a soft pat.
“Is big brother feeling better now?”
“With luck. If we happen to meet again later, I should demand proper payment for the bread……. No, forget it. He won’t even remember, so let’s just forget about this too. It’s not in the original story anyway—best not to get confused.”
The warmth faded from his cheek, and the woman left with the child.
Cain had no chance to protest the accusation of ugliness. The moment his tongue registered the taste, all remaining sensation went numb.
It was a softness and sweetness he had never experienced in all his life.
The fishy taste of egg vanished without a trace, leaving only a gentle, enveloping flavor that filled his mouth.
Cain’s branch of the Bellion family, though noble, wasn’t wealthy; frugality was their tradition. From childhood, he had chewed nothing but hard rye bread, so this texture was a revelation.
No—it wasn’t even rye bread that was the problem. Such a cloud-light crumb, he could confidently say, would be hard to find even in the Imperial Palace.
Then came something miraculous.
The moment he swallowed, his blurred vision cleared, and strength flooded back into his stiffened muscles.
His Mana channels purified, and even his bloated face returned roughly halfway to normal.
Cain rose with impossible vigor, crossed the river, and met Lady Bellamont.
She had demanded 10 Gold for the treatment, but once she learned his identity, she raised it to 100 Gold and overcharged him shamelessly. Yet he returned with all four limbs intact.
The Duke kept his promise.
He gave Cain one of the Baron titles his children had coveted so dearly.
For the next ten years, Cain never forgot that taste.
Not the extraordinary experience of recovering his health by eating bread, nor the warmth of someone who hadn’t turned away from him on the brink of death.
It was only recently that Nor, his vassal lord, had visited the Imperial Capital and proudly shown him a “Castella” his new head chef had developed.
At the first bite, Cain had frozen.
It was the very same dish he’d eaten in that forest ten years ago.
The technique had grown more refined, the texture far softer, but the instinctive sensitivity in handling the ingredients—unmistakably the same person’s touch.
Though he felt none of the restorative power he’d experienced then, he was certain.
He’d finally found them.
He had to meet this chef without fail.
Because he had to feed this miracle to “that child” withering away in a corner of the Bellion Duchy.
Two long shadows fell across Lussiella’s head.
She slowly lifted her gaze and saw two men radiating an oppressive air.
“Are you a servant of Lord’s Castle?”
The one with brown hair, who appeared to be a guard, asked.
“We’re looking for the castle’s chef. We heard he’s extraordinarily skilled.”
“……Nigel?”
“Nigel?”
The man tilted his head, as if the name wasn’t what he’d expected.
“The Lord mentioned that name. Despite the masculine sound, it’s indeed the right person.”
The one standing behind, who appeared to be a noble, nodded in agreement.
Lussiella’s eyes narrowed.
Whether from the blinding sun or because her strength was steadily draining, his face wasn’t coming into focus.
Yet those luminously blue eyes seemed somehow familiar.
“Can you guide us to Chef Nigel?”
Cain asked Lussiella.
“That person is my benefactor. I’ve carried gratitude for them all these years and searched for them.”
Lussiella’s eyes widened at this.
“……That person whose brain is made of lard?”
Exhausted, the thought that had only crossed her mind tumbled carelessly from her lips.
As she spoke, she swayed slightly. Her arms and legs wouldn’t obey her.
I should have eaten the potato before leaving. Then the Buff effect would’ve kept me going another hour.
“Now, what rudeness is this to the Baron’s benefactor?”
“…….”
Lukan moved to reprimand her, but Cain raised a hand to stop him.
“Child.”
Cain called to her softly.
From a distance she’d looked merely grimy, but up close her condition proved far more dire.
Her complexion was deathly pale, and her thin limbs trembled so that she looked perilously close to death.
“I don’t care if their brain is lard. I need to find that person.”
So he spoke to her in an unusually gentle tone.
“Guide us. After that, Lukan will take you to a doctor——”
Thump.
But before he could finish, Lussiella collapsed sideways.
“Hey? Child!”
A startled Cain caught her as she fell.
Lukan hurried over and checked her pulse, then tilted his head uncertainly.
“Her pulse is steady.”
“There don’t seem to be any major wounds…… Has she been chronically abused?”
Cain examined her fallen form, his brow furrowed.
“What on earth happened at Lord’s Castle……?”
As he sat in troubled silence,
Crunch.
A sharp sound broke the quiet.
Cain turned to see Lukan holding a Potato Skewer the child had dropped, chewing thoughtfully.
“……Lukan. Are you eating a Potato Skewer right now……? In this situation……?”
Disdain flickered across Cain’s refined face.
“Ah, that is to say——!”
Lukan flinched at Cain’s cutting rebuke, lowering the skewer.
“My sincerest apologies, Baron! My hand moved of its own accord——.”
His own surprise was evident in his manner.
Though he’d always had a taste for food, he wasn’t crass enough to steal from an unconscious child’s provisions on a roadside.
“I, I couldn’t help myself with the shape and aroma, you understand.”
“Nonsense from a madman——”
“I’m serious. And the taste…… the taste is extraordinary! The texture is quite…… what herbs were mixed in?”
“You fool, if you’ve eaten it then put it down——”
“No, Baron, please try just one bite before you speak.”
Before Cain could finish, Lukan thrust the remaining potato into Cain’s mouth.
“I said I didn’t want——”
Cain spoke firmly in refusal, but the fragrant aroma of butter tickled his nostrils, and the savory salt on his tongue made him part his lips slightly despite himself.
Nom.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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